The Eagles saw wide receiver Jeremy Maclin leave Wednesday’s practice early with a hamstring injury, although Maclin said after the session that he didn’t feel it was serious and still hoped to play in Friday’s preseason game.
It doesn’t look like that is going to happen. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Maclin is a spectator at Thursday’s joint practice with the Patriots and that he is “unlikely” to be in the lineup when the two teams play on Friday night.
Maclin’s injury came after a couple of strong days of practice against Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis, continuing what McLane calls a “herky-jerky” training camp for the wideout. Per McLane, every sign of progress in Maclin’s return from a torn ACL has been followed by something that slows down the pace. It was soreness in the legs before this week’s hamstring issue, all of which Maclin has deemed the normal course of events when returning from such a serious injury.
That may be the case, but it probably doesn’t make it all that much more reassuring to anyone hoping that Maclin can be a reliable top option for Nick Foles this season.